Philadelphia Futures Recognized with the 2020 NPEA/Cooke Award

Sponsored by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation and presented by the National Partnership for Educational Access, this award recognizes excellence in supporting underserved students on the path to and through college, a commitment to data for program improvement, support for students’ personal growth and success, strong program sustainability, leadership, and creative problem-solving and innovation.

For over 30 years, Philadelphia Futures has supported students on the journey to – and through – college. They offer comprehensive resources designed to help students and families break down the academic, financial, and social barriers that have historically prevented low-income, first-generation-to-college students from achieving college success.

In a recent press release, NPEA shared the achievements that led to Philadelphia Futures’ selection for this year’s award, which included:

Offering meaningful leadership and community engagement through their Young Men’s Initiative (YMI) and Young Women Rising (YWR) programming;

Forming the Queer Straight Alliance in 2018 to offer a safe space for students;

Ensuring 86% of all funding goes directly to their student programming;

Collaborating on city-wide initiatives related to college access and success and distributing more than 42,000 copies of the Step Up to College Guide – the area’s premier resource for college-going students – to high schools and community groups throughout Greater Philadelphia, and 10,000 copies of the Guide’s Summer Supplement to rising high school seniors; and

Understanding the importance of being data driven and developing a comprehensive method to assess and evaluate the effectiveness of their programming, including a theory of change, benchmarking framework, and data use plan.

“We are thrilled and honored to be recognized with the NPEA/Cooke Award for Excellence in Educational Access,” said Sara Woods, Executive Director at Philadelphia Futures. “We do what we do at Philadelphia Futures because we care deeply about educational equity and ensuring that all students in Philadelphia have what they need to succeed in college and thrive in life. That is never more true than right now.”

Learn more about the 2020 NPEA/Cooke Award for Excellence in Educational Access by clicking here.